Washington (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – U.S. State Department spokesperson said that the Trump administration ended a waiver that had allowed Iraq to pay Iran for electricity. It is part of President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” movement against Tehran.
The spokesperson said the move to let Iraq’s waiver lapse upon its expiration “ensures we do not allow Iran any degree of economic or financial relief.” He also said that Trump’s campaign on Iran seeks “to end its nuclear threat, curtail its ballistic missile program and stop it from supporting terrorist groups.”
President Trump has been clear that the Iranian Regime must cease its ambitions for a nuclear weapon or face Maximum Pressure,
stated National Security spokesperson James Hewitt.
We hope the regime will put the interests of its people and the region ahead of its destabilizing policies.
What are the goals of the S.S. “maximum pressure” campaign?
The US has imposed a range of sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program and backing for militant organizations. It effectively banned countries that do trade with Iran from doing business with the U.S. The U.S. government has stated it wants to isolate Iran from the global economy and stop its oil export revenues.
Donald Trump, in his first term, initially gave waivers to several buyers to satisfy consumer energy needs when he reinstated sanctions on Iran’s energy exports in 2018, noting its nuclear program and what the U.S. calls its interference in the Middle East.
Trump administration and that of Joe Biden frequently renewed Iraq’s waiver while insisting Baghdad decrease its dependence on Iranian electricity. The State Department spokesperson repeated that call.
We urge the Iraqi government to eliminate its dependence on Iranian sources of energy as soon as possible,
the spokesperson said.
Iran is an unreliable energy supplier.
Iraq’s energy transition provides opportunities for U.S. companies, which are world-leading experts in increasing the productivity of power plants, improving electricity grids, and developing electricity interconnections with reliable partners,
the State Department spokesperson stated.
According to the spokesperson,
In 2023, electricity imports from Iran were only 4% of electricity consumption in Iraq.
